fate of Marcy Dam? (muddy swamp or pond)

[stevec]

I remember camping near Marcy Dam, having campfires, and even swimming in the water there.
We can no longer have campfires, nor swim there (too shallow as it fills with more sediment each year)... does anyone know the fate of Marcy Dam itself? That is, will it eventually become a large swampy area which will be very good for mosquitos, or will it ever be dredged to allow swimming again?
I would imagine the DEC could easily spend some stimulus money to flush/dredge the sediment from the pond and improve the dam to last several more years. Does anyone know the plans for Marcy Dam over the next 5-10 years?

 

[1ADAM12]

This would be very cool indeed if they did improve the conditions. Personally though I would like to see the Duck Hole Dam improved first

 

[rdl]

I would guess that no improvements in the way of dredging will ever take place at Marcy Dam. Doubtful that type of improvement is in the UMP.

An area such as Flowed Lands has a particular beauty to it, will Duck Hole and Marcy Dam eventually take on the characteristics of Flowed Lands when their dams are breached ? I'm in the let nature take it's course camp -- when those dams fall into disrepair, let them be...

Bob

 

[stevec]

fate of Marcy Dam

I wonder if anyone knows the original reasons for building the dam in the first place? If it was for prevention of flooding, then maybe the dam will be maintained and dredged.

I placed a call to the DEC and left a phone message with someone responsible for the dam.... I will post their plans if I receive them.

 

[WSC]

I thought originally the dam was built to hold back the water to make the lake for Timber Harvesting.
I aslo saw a program on TV where there was talk of not fixing the dam and letting it go back to the way it was before which was a river(stream).
Anyone know the truth bedhind that.
It is such a scenic area with the dam creating a beautiful waterscape as you see the mountains.
I saw it for the first time as I hiked in the Adirondaks going to Mt. Marcy, and I thought it was the prettiest site I had scene. What a good way to be welcomed to the mountains.
WSC

 

[teleskier]

Given the current ideological bent, which views even a cannister on a remote summit as an unwanted intrusion of human presence, I'd suspect there is little enthusiasm for maintaining/restoring March Dam. Pity...

 

[Tom Rankin]

Given the current ideological bent, which views even a cannister on a remote summit as an unwanted intrusion of human presence, I'd suspect there is little enthusiasm for maintaining/restoring March Dam. Pity...

I think at least the bridge should remain.

 

[rhihn]

Interesting though old article on this and related DEC topics. Didn't they do some repairs on a leak in Marcy Dam a couple of years ago?

 

[stevec]

Marcy Dam

The Region 5 DEC operations person returned my call and indicated the fate of the Marcy Dam is indeed a problem they are aware of and is under consideration but there is currently no specific plan. We spoke for several minutes about the problem, the history of that dam and several others, and park restrictions on improvements, etc. His area is operations (not planning) but he is not aware of any plan currently in place to remedy the situation.

If the dam were to fail, the resulting flow of silt laden water would be detrimental to fisheries downstream. The pond is definitely filling with sediment and some years are worse than others. The existing dam has been repaired in the past. The original dam was upstream from the current one and was primarily built for the logging industry.

If you have opinions on the fate of the Marcy Dam, please write to the DEC Region 5 Director and/or the DEC Commissioner so they have your (the public) input when making future plans. I would hope they might consider maintaining that dam indefinitely and even occasionally removing the silt from behind the dam (to maintain the beauty and usefulness of the dam & pond). Each year the pond fills with more silt and the risk of dam failure increases so something definitely needs to be planned.

Write to: DEC Regional Director Betsy Lowe at [email protected] or call (518) 897-1211.

NYSDEC Region 5
Headquarters
PO Box 296
1115 NYS Rte 86
Ray Brook, NY 12977

 

[Little Rickie]

Last I knew if it broke it would not be repaired. It leaked and emptied a few years ago then debris plugged the hole pretty quick. It may just be a matter of time.

It's all that noconforming structure and return to nature stuff.

I'm sure there are some that think if there was no dam less people would use the area.

 

[Little Rickie]

Interesting though old article on this and related DEC topics. Didn't they do some repairs on a leak in Marcy Dam a couple of years ago?

Typing one handed are you?

 

[rhihn]

Typing one handed are you?

No, I have fingers sticking out of the end of the bandage, and they're becoming increasingly mobile, even with the stitches in the palm.

 

[TCD]

o/t: Dick, are you injured? I ask because I'm just now mostly healed from 2 broken fingers (snowblower + stupid user = injury).

o/t, rant, regarding the article:

I can't believe the boneheads at eany cite Hadlock Dam as a reason why we need more DEC dam work. It was DEC that mandated that the perfectly good old dam that had stood for 100 years be torn out. DEC meddling is directly to blame for the Hadlock disaster; more DEC meddling is not the fix.

/rant off/

on topic:

Admittedly, the views are nice and the swimming is nice at Dam sites like Duck Hole. I want the Duck Hole Dam and Marcy Dam saved. But I'm not sure I would lobby hard for it, as you have to pick where you want to expend your political capital.

Tom hit it earlier regarding the bridge. If DEC decides to let the dams go, we should use our capital to make sure the trails stay passable, as that's more fundamental to what we as owner/users like doing. The mess of a "bypass route" installed at Duck Hole, and the travesty of the multi year delay at Johns Brook, and resulting network of herd paths, are what should be avoided. I guess I can live with yet another mosquito swamp, as long as I don't have to wade through it because there's no bridge.

Tom

 

[Neil]

Removing the dam would allow for a longitudinal study on ecological succession as the swamp/bog fills in and becomes mature forest.

 

[rhihn]

o/t: Dick, are you injured? I ask because I'm just now mostly healed from 2 broken fingers (snowblower + stupid user = injury).

Not an injury, but I had surgery for Dupuytren's contracture. I had my left hand successfully operated on a couple of summers ago for the same thing. It will be a few weeks at least before I can hike again.

 

[Viewseeker]

It would be a shame to let Marcy Dam area go.. A gathering place for people to View the Mtns. and camp with others around. The whole zen would be lost to an overgrown swamp or forest.. My .02$

 

[tgoodwin]

Geologically speaking, lakes and ponds are short-lived features as natural forces are constantly eroding the outlets and filling the bottom with sediments and the remains of water-growing vegetation. Take a small, shallow pond (o.k. one once deep enough to swim in) in a steep drainage basin with slides periodically coming down into the brooks feeding that pond and you have a recipe for an accelerated demise of said pond. Since dredging the pond is just not going to happen, the only question will whether it is better to leave the dam as long as possible or to breach it so that the shallow, mosquito-breeding swamp phase is skipped.

I know that the trip into the High Peaks won't seem the same without that landmark view, but the experience with Flowed Lands has shown that the open views remain for many years before slowly beginning to grow in. There were many who lamented the breaching of the dam at Flowed Lands, but 30 years later that controversy has largely been forgotten. I predict the same trajectory of protests and "save...." movements followed by wailing lamentations, and then finally acceptance with the issue of both Marcy Dam and Duck Hole.

 

[teleskier]

Aw, leave it to Tony to inject reason and logic into this Can't disagree with a thing you've said, especially your prediction, and as you point out in the Flowed Lands example, if that's the trajectory it takes, it wouldn't exactly be a tragedy.

But, to play devil's advocate, "geologically speaking", all surface features are temporary, even mountains, so what's the impetus for human action to protect any of them? Seems to me it often comes down to what we value esthetically, and a whole lot of people seem to value that experience at Marcy Dam.

Craig

 

[stevec]

Marcy Dam (note from DEC region 5)

Immediately below please find the response I received from my email to the DEC Region 5 office. Below their response you'll find my note to them. Please consider sending them your comments to help with their planning for that area. Steve Collins
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Thank you for your comments. We will consider them as we move forward in planning for this area.

Thomas D. Martin
Regional Forester
1115 State Route 86
PO Box 296
Ray Brook, NY 12977


>>> "Steve Collins" <[email protected]> 2/12/2009 12:10 PM >>>
Hello, I'm a hiker and NY State resident who truly enjoys the Marcy Dam area. Each year its pond is filling with more sediment and the pond has become too shallow for swimming (I swam there 14 years ago and it was waist deep).

I hope the DEC will consider maintaining that dam and pond for many years as
it is a scenic location with much history. I would suggest the DEC plan to
dredge/pump out/release some of the sediment yearly to improve the
usefulness of the dam and pond. If the dam were to fail with the existing
level of sediment, I'm afraid the fisheries downstream would be devastated, so something needs to be done sooner than later.

Thanks for considering this public input during your planning for this area. Please send me any new plans for that area.

Regards,
Steve Collins